Palmerston atoll

Imagine a small atoll in the middle of the South Pacific inaccessible by plane or ferry. There is a stunning turquoise lagoon surrounded by numerous motus. Only one is inhabited: Palmerston or “Home Island”. Sixty-four people live on this tiny patch of coral and sand a mile and a half long. They are all descendants …

Aitutaki to Palmerston

Our passage from Aitutaki to Palmerston was 200NM and we expected to arrive in 36 hours. The first 12 hours went perfectly according to plan: a gentle breeze just forward of the beam and average speeds of 7 knots. Then the wind dropped completely and, apart from a brief spell during the second day where …

Aitutaki, Cook Islands

When in Rome … The preferred local way of transport is on a scooter: we rent a couple and explore the island. It’s great fun! I’m worried however about driving around without a helmet on and with the kids on the back. It’s what everyone does though and we take it slow. There have been …

From French Polynesia to the Cook Islands

We’re in Aitutaki… After having spent more than 3 months in French Polynesia we’re back in English speaking territory and it feels strange and somehow less exotic. The Cook Islands are independent but freely associated with New Zealand. The natives speak with a kiwi accent and the NZD is the official currency. These islands are …

Bora Bora to Aitutaki: 100 miles to go …

Spectacular day out on the Pacific today, all the blues you can eat! This has been the first crossing we feel we are getting a true taste of how the Pacific should be, long may it last. We are currently 100 nm ENE of Aitutaki and sailing a tight reach at 8 knots towards the …

Never leave port on a Friday …

We were all ready to go on Wednesday (checked out, provisions done) and happily went to happy hour drinks that evening knowing that all we had left to do the next day was to fuel up… But by the time happy hour drinks were over, the weather had changed completely and the floating dinghy dock …

Checked out and ready to go!

It’s time to say goodbye to Bora Bora and French Polynesia. We love it here and don’t really want to go but El Niño is keeping us (and all other yachties) on our toes and we need to get to New Zealand before hurricane season starts. This morning we went to the Gendarmerie to check …

Bora Bora

It’s still blowing hard! Quite a few boats have set sail for Tonga in the last couple of days but we choose to spend a bit more time in Bora Bora. We have been rushing so much in the last year that we feel we deserve a little break. We also have a couple of …